Mr Birthday and Little Miss Birthday by Roger Hargreaves

Happy Birthday Roger Hargreaves! With a birthday coming up in our house we have been reading two of our favourite Mr Men books, Little Miss Birthday and Mr Birthday. My daughter loves the glittery covers and both stories make us laugh. They are reasonably priced and would make a great birthday present or party prize.

Little Miss Birthday: Little Miss Birthday loves choosing birthday presents for her friends. She comes up with some very original ideas but has no idea what to buy for Mr Wrong. She has a long conversation with Mr Wrong but still has no idea what would be a suitable present. A casual chat with Mr Muddle gives her an idea and on Mr Wrong’s birthday she arrives with a Christmas present. He is delighted, he thought it was Christmas and Little Miss Birthday has just proved him right – the best birthday present ever!

Mr Birthday: Mr Birthday is very good at organising birthday parties. At the end of Mr Happy’s party Mr Happy says thank you to Mr Birthday and says that he is looking forward to next week’s party. Mr Birthday is mystified as he doesn’t know anybody who has a birthday next week. During the week he hears murmurs about the party but has no idea who has a birthday. Mr Happy tells him the date and time of the party and when he arrives at Mr Happy’s house Mr Birthday realises that it is his birthday they are celebrating!

There is so much humour in both stories which include many of our favourite Mr Men characters (Mr Bump, Mr Greedy, Mr Happy to name but a few). They receive presents and have parties that reflect their characters and Roger Hargreaves has come up with some original ideas for the celebrations. Mr Birthday is very considerate when he organises Mr Greedy’s party, he brings two cakes – one for Mr Greedy and one for the guests! Little Miss Late’s birthday present is very original, she receives a bus stop that she can carry with her so that she is never late for a bus! The pictures are bold and colourful and my daughter especially likes Mr Wrong’s house with it’s upside down front door and the armchairs in the garden.

The Little Misses and Mr Men have a wonderfully colourful website which includes the history of the Mr Men and Little Miss books, colouring sheets and a monthly drawing competition.

Mr Bump was my favourite Mr Men story when I was a child. Do you have a favourite Mr Man or Little Miss?

Interesting to see that all these Mr Men and Little Miss books are still popular. “The simple and humorous stories, with brightly coloured, boldly drawn illustrations, have been part of popular culture since 1971, with sales of over 85 million copies worldwide in 20 languages.”* This quote was written in 1988 so obviously many more sold and read now.
*”People of 1988: Obituaries”, 1989 Britannica Book of the Year, Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Yes Roger Hargreaves died in 1988 at the age of 53